1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to equipment for catching fish and, in particular, to an apparatus for supporting a fishing rod and causing the bait or lure at the end of the fishing line to be activated in the water to attract fish.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous products have been developed over the years to improve people""s ability to catch fish. Included in these products are fishing line xe2x80x9cjiggersxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cjiggingxe2x80x9d devices that cause the bait or lure on the fishing line to move in the water. Examples of prior patent disclosures relating to devices for jigging fishing lines include U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,616 issued to Wilsey, U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,448 issued to Lindaberry, U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,900 issued to Nestor, U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,978 issued to Philip, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,187,849 issued to Buddenbrock. Each of these patent disclosures generally acknowledges that fish are more readily attracted to moving bait than to stationary bait. However, the movement or jigging action created by these jigging devices fails to provide the type of movement that attracts the most fish under certain fishing conditions. Moreover, these jigging devices are attached directly to the fishing rod or reel and tend to interfere with the normal use of the fishing rod and reel during casting and reeling when jigging action is not desired.
There also exists in the prior art a fishing rod holder for supporting a fishing rod on a side of a boat, a dock, or the like. This prior art fishing rod holder includes a clamping assembly for attaching the holder to a boat or the like, and a cradle portion on which the fishing rod is placed. The cradle portion is adjustable relative to the clamping assembly to change the angle at which the fishing rod is supported. This prior art fishing rod holder does not include a jigging device.
Thus, there is a need in the fishing equipment industry for an improved jigging device to attract fish to a fisherman""s bait or lure that does not interfere with the normal use of the fishing rod.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved jigging device for a fishing rod that activates bait or lure at the end of a fishing line in a manner that attracts more fish.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved jigging device that will not interfere with casting or reeling in the fishing line.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fishing rod holder equipped with a jigging device that provides a support for a conventional fishing rod and a jigging action for the fishing line without attaching directly to the fishing rod.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved jigging device that is economical and easy to manufacture, efficient in use, capable of a long operating life, and particularly well suited for a variety of fishing conditions.
Numerous other objects of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in this art from the following description wherein there is shown and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, simply by way of illustration of one of the modes best suited to carry out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modification in various obvious aspects without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description should be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.
The present invention provides an improved fishing rod holder and jigging apparatus that has a cradle portion for engaging and loosely supporting a fishing rod, and a jigging device attached to the cradle portion for jigging a fishing line. The cradle portion provides a stationary support on which the fishing rod can be placed and removed easily during fishing. A support arm having a handgrip portion is connected to the cradle portion for supporting the jigging device. The jigging device includes a motor and a drive wheel driven by the motor. A fishing line striker is pivotally attached to the drive wheel about a pivot axis that is generally parallel to a rotation axis of the drive wheel and a longitudinal axis of the fishing rod. The fishing line striker and drive wheel are arranged such that the fishing line striker flops from a laid-back position into sudden engagement with the fishing line as a center of mass of the fishing line striker passes over its pivot axis during rotation of the drive wheel. A guide member is secured to the base structure adjacent to the drive wheel for guiding the fishing line into a path of the fishing line striker.
According to a first broad aspect of the present invention, a jigging apparatus for fishing is provided, comprising: a base structure; a rotatable drive member supported by the base structure; and a fishing line striker pivotally attached to the drive member about a pivot axis, the fishing line striker and the drive member being arranged such that the fishing line striker rotates into sudden engagement with a fishing line to cause a jigging movement in the fishing line as a center of mass of the fishing line striker passes over the pivot axis during rotation of the drive member.
According to another broad aspect of the present invention, a fishing rod holder and jigging apparatus are provided, comprising: a cradle portion for engaging and loosely supporting a fishing rod; and a jigging device attached to the cradle portion, the jigging device comprising a means for jigging a fishing line.
According to another broad aspect of the present invention, a jigging apparatus for fishing is provided, comprising: a base structure; a motor secured to the base structure, the motor having a rotatably driven output shaft; a drive member operably connected to the output shaft so as to be rotatably driven by the motor; and a fishing line striker pivotally attached to the drive member about a pivot axis, the fishing line striker and the drive member being arranged such that the fishing line striker flops from a laid-back position into sudden engagement with a fishing line to cause a jigging movement in the fishing line as a center of mass of the fishing line striker passes over the pivot axis during rotation of the drive member.